


Imprinting

by jimonings



Series: The Sire Bond Series [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bonding, Cute, Feral Behavior, Fluff, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Scenting, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago Fluff, Touchy-Feely, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:05:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9178789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimonings/pseuds/jimonings
Summary: "Did you just say that Simonimprintedon you?""Yes, I did. Why do you think we call new vampires fledglings?"im·print (verb)— a young animal coming to recognize another animal, person, or thing as a parent or other object of habitual trust(NOT A STANDALONE. Continue reading with part two of the series.)





	

The first person Simon Lewis laid his eyes on after being reborn was Raphael Santiago. He didn't know it at the time, but he had formed quite a lasting connection the night he was turned.

* * *

"Simon, please, I'm trying to read," Raphael mumbled as he idly turned a page in his book, glass of blood sitting more or less forgotten on the table beside him. Simon looked up from where he sat on the couch opposite Raphael, his guitar in hand and his mouth open mid-lyric. He snapped his jaw shut and set the guitar down, leaning back into the couch and folding his arms over his chest.

"Thank you," Raphael praised him, feeling a bit like he was training a dog not to bark when inconvenient. Simon looked just the same, his eyes wide and puppylike in an attempt to gain pity.

"But I'm bored," he protested, sliding his fingers along the smooth wood of the acoustic guitar and sticking out his bottom lip. Raphael sighed and placed his marker in his book, leaning forward so his forearms were on his knees.

"If you're bored, perhaps you could go pester Lily or Atticus. I'm sure they'd love to listen to you sing," he said, trying not to sound like he was begging. Raphael wasn't afraid to admit that he had some affection for the fledgling, but he also needed his own personal time now and again. But it seemed as though everywhere he went, Simon followed, constantly talking and constantly fidgeting.

"You said that last time, and look where it got me!" Simon exclaimed and threw his hands up, allowing them to settle back down in his hair after a pause for emphasis. "Lily and Atticus kept giving me requests and asking for encores, and my fingers were almost bleeding by the time you showed up to stop them!"

"Well maybe you should just do something else to distract yourself," Raphael said, his voice lilting as if he were speaking to a toddler. Simon's expression certainly didn't help the comparison, as his eyebrows were set low and his lips were pursed.

"Why can't you just tune me out or something," Simon asked him, eyeing the book at Raphael's side. "Or you could just read your dumb book later."

Raphael let out a soft laugh, leaning back and picking his book up. "Fledgling, you make it sound like all you care about is having my undivided attention."

"I never said that," Simon pouted and began to tune the guitar, not daring to look at Raphael. "It would just be nice, is all."

"Let me finish my chapter, then I'll listen to one song. Deal?"

Simon's eyes lit up and he nodded, strumming a chord on the guitar. Raphael shushed him and held up a finger, whispering "No, no- No guitar until I'm done."

Simon groaned and laid himself back against the couch again, staring up at the ceiling. Raphael grinned and returned to his reading, ignoring the sound of Simon's fingers tapping on the leather of the couch.

* * *

Simon didn't visit the institute as often as he would have liked, but that didn't mean he didn't want to he there when he was. Though the others had other ideas and opinions on Simon's attendance (or lack thereof).

"Simon, honestly, please could you stop talking for five seconds about how hungry you are," Jace said in exasperation, running a hand through his slick blonde hair and closing his eyes.

Simon gave him a look and crossed his arms, smirking menacingly and shrugging. "Sure, Jace. How about you just show me your neck, then I'll stop complaining about my hunger pangs and thirst for your delicious life juice."

"Thought you said I wasn't your type, Lewis," Jace cooed and stepped closer to Simon, leaning into his space. Before Simon could retort back, a figure darted into the room, and all eyes were suddenly on Raphael. Everyone in the room tensed up slightly, except Simon- the only muscle that tightened were the ones on his face as his lips curled into a smile upon seeing his clan leader.

"I hate to sound like your mother, I really do, but you forgot this before you left," Raphael said and held out a thermos to Simon, eyebrows raised knowingly. Simon took the thermos and immediately took a few gulps of its' contents, much to the discomfort of the shadowhunters in the room. Simon smiled at Raphael and wiped the blood from his upper lip, nodding his appreciation. Raphael nodded respectfully to Alec, the unspoken leader of the group, and sped out of the room back to the hotel.

After he had gone, the meeting commenced as normal, save for the scent of blood coming from Simon's thermos every time he opened it to take a swig.

* * *

Raphael couldn't remember the last time he had been this exhausted. After so many clave meetings and assorted things to deal with, he had basically lost his sense of time and the day he should have spent sleeping had slipped right past him. He figured a good long sleep in wouldn't hurt, but his plan was quickly ruined by one Simon Lewis, curled up in _his_ bed, under _his_ blankets, wearing one of  _his_  shirts.

"Simon," Raphael said, voice surprisingly calm and steady despite his complete and utter confusion. Simon didn't stir, snoring softly as he curled tighter into Raphael's things with a content look on his face. It would have been slightly charming and even sweet had Raphael not been so incredibly exhausted, but despite this he padded over on heavy feet and began his nightly routine as usual.

Shoes off, hair combed, fangs brushed, stripped down to his boxers and shirt, completely decompressed and ready to sleep. He glanced between Simon and the uncomfortable chair in the corner of the room, quickly deciding that sharing a bed with the newest clan member was a much better option than having to suffer through back and neck pain the next night.

He stripped off his socks and held up the blankets beside Simon, sliding into his bed and quickly getting comfortable. He sighed and closed his eyes, asleep in what felt like seconds.

He woke up a few hours before sunset the next day, squeezing the bridge of his nose and sitting up. He dared to glance beside him, not knowing whether he was relieved or disappointed that Simon wasn't still there. In his place was a note, which Raphael picked up and immediately smiled affectionately at.

_"Raphael—_

_Don't know what came over me yesterday. Hadn't seen you all day, came in to grab a book to read for my boredom, and ended up falling asleep in your bed. Hope that isn't weird. Thanks for not waking me up._

_\- Simon._

_PS: You smell really good."_

Raphael placed the note in the bottom drawer of his nightstand, laying back down and rolling onto the side of the bed Simon had slept on. A heightened sense of smell was a characteristic of vampires that Raphael would have sometimes preferred not to have, but in that moment he decided he could get used to it if it meant he could always ravish in the scent of Simon's shampoo on his pillow.

* * *

It wasn't often that Raphael got out of the hotel when it wasn't to tend to official clan business, but tonight was certainly an exception: It was Magnus's birthday, and despite the fact that he didn't normally enjoy the company of those outside the clan, Raphael had to admit that the people he was spending the night with were an indulgent change of pace.

Alec had been hovering awkwardly over Jace's shoulder the entire night, but his eyes were glued to the swaying hips and glowing fingertips of Magnus as he danced with Isabelle. Clary wasn't doing much better than Alec, her eyes equally glued to her "friend's" bust and backside. It admittedly caused Raphael to chuckle, seeing the lust in the shadowhunters' eyes and the longing in their stares. He wasn't really one to dance himself, much less to the music that was being played at the club Magnus had rented out for the party. Though he quickly realized there was an exception to every supposed constant, and of course his exception was Simon Lewis in a pair of black skinny jeans.

"Why aren't you dancing?" the fledgling asked, licking over his teeth and grinning at Raphael deviously as his tongue stopped at his right fang. Raphael did his best to play it cool, ignoring the feeling of his dinner beginning to coarse through his veins straight toward you-know-exactly-where.

"Not much of a dancer," he said simply, leaning his elbows back against the bar and cocking a brow in his typical condescending way. Simon's grin widened and he grabbed Raphael's hips, lifting him from where he sat and dragging him by his belt loop to the dance floor. Raphael protested the whole way, shouting over the music about having no rhythm and two left feet. Simon seemed to disagree, or just plain didn't want to listen, which  was obvious from the way he dragged Raphael all the way to the middle of the dance floor to where Magnus and Izzy were showing off their newly choreographed dance routine.

"Honestly, Simon, I don't dance," Raphael said in a half growl, folding his arms adamantly and hunching his shoulders.

"Well I say you can," Simon replied, holding out a hand to his clan leader and curling his fingers expectantly.

"Not a chance," Raphael snapped back, unaware that he was accidentally continuing the lyrics to a song Simon seemed to know.

"You'll never know if you never try," Simon mused at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. Raphael glanced up at him and raised his eyebrows, to which Simon continued his song.

"What's the one little thing that stops you every time?" he sang, putting his hands on Raphael's waist and moving their bodies side to side in unison. Raphael played along and humored Simon, quickly becoming aware of the lack of space between them as it grew smaller and smaller.

"Simon," Raphael began, but was quickly cut off by Simon spinning Raphael around and pressing his chest to Raphael's back. If he had been capable of blushing he would have, but as it was he was only able to widen his eyes and grit his teeth as Simon held him close by his belt loops. He felt Simon lowering himself toward the floor and rising back up slowly, dragging Raphael with him. Lips pressed against the back of Raphael's head and the shorter male blushed, side eyeing Magnus who was watching with a devilish grin on his face. Izzy was no more help than Magnus, and Raphael watched as her cherry red lips rose up to Simon's ear and whispered something to him that he couldn't hear over the thrum of the music.

Raphael couldn't see Simon's face, but he could only assume the other boy was grinning almost as wickedly as Magnus, because the next thing he knew there was a tongue ghosting its way up his neck to his ear lobe. A fang caught the soft flesh and began to work at it, and Raphael would have moaned if he hadn't remembered Simon was probably high on adrenaline and sick with lust like everyone else in the room.

"Simon, enough," Raphael demanded and stepped away from the other, turning to see the pained yet glassy expression in Simon's eyes. He began to feel guilty, but quickly let that subside as his instincts took over and he reached up, catching some of Simon's hair in his fingers and turning the fledgling to look at him.

"You have two options," Raphael said as Simon leaned into his touch, and Raphael let his fingernails scratch at Simon's sensitive scalp. He could have sworn he heard the fledgling let out a literal chirp, but elected to ignore it in favor of telling Simon his options. "Either we go back to the hotel now or you get your act together and stop doing things without people's consent. Understand?"

As if Raphael had flipped a switch, Simon suddenly threw his head back and exposed the pale skin of his neck to Raphael. Whether it was out of desire or submission, Raphael didn't know, but he decided to indulge the younger male and stepped closer into his space. He closed his eyes and pressed his nose to Simon's neck, drinking in his scent and sliding his fangs along his soft flesh.

"What the hell are they doing?" Izzy asked Magnus, side eyeing Raphael and Simon as she stopped dancing to take a break. Magnus followed her gaze and put a hand over his mouth to hide the smile that surely would have lit up his face.

"Simon has finally learned his place in the clan, I suspect," Magnus said and refilled his glass, toasting it to where Raphael and Simon stood with their faces in each other's necks.

"And what might his place be," Izzy asked as she tied her hair into a ponytail, readjusting her top to be more comfortable. Magnus thought about her question for a second, smirking and stirring his cocktail with a finger. He licked the excess liquid off of the digit as he made eye contact with Alec before turning back to Izzy and giving the simplest answer he could muster.  


"Fledgling," he explained as he downed his drink in one gulp, returning to the dance floor and shooing everyone away from where Simon and Raphael stood.

* * *

"Explain that to me one more time," Clary said, putting a hand on her forehead and rubbing at her temples. She had come to the hotel to ask for Raphael's help with handling a feral Simon parading around the institute with his fangs bared and a single word on his lips: Raphael.

"He shouldn't have gone to the institute last night, because he's imprinted on me and we haven't sealed his shift of sire bond yet. Really, it's not a difficult concept to grasp," Raphael explained for what seemed like the tenth time to the girl stood before him.

"Did you just say that Simon  _imprinted_ on you?" Clary asked, her eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Imprinted like a baby duckling imprints on the first living thing it sees?"

"Yes, I did, and yes, he has. Why do you think we call new vampires fledglings?"

Clary blinked owlishly and crossed her arms. "Well what do I do to get him back to normal so you can shift his sire bond or whatever it is you said?"

"Well we can't do anything until the sun goes down, can we?" Raphael asked tauntingly, repressing his urge to smile triumphantly at the shadowhunter. She curled her top lip in distaste and got out her phone, sending a text message to Jace. "This is the best we can do for now," she said and shoved the phone at Raphael, and he looked down to see Jace's face on the screen.

"You expect a facetime call to do the job as well as him being here could?" Raphael asked her, but held the phone up to show his face anyway.

"Where's Simon?" he asked Jace, sounding beyond bored and dismissive. Jace turned the phone around and Simon popped up on the screen, his eyes wide and his fangs bared as he snarled at Jace, who was slowly approaching.

"Simon, honestly, stop this nonsense and quit tormenting the angels," Raphael said placatingly, leaning his cheek on his hand and feigning boredom. As soon as Simon saw Raphael's face and heard his voice, he stopped dead in his tracks, rushing forward and grabbing the phone from Jace. He held it to his chest and quickly regained his bearings, but didn't move from where he sat curled up in the corner.

"Raphael?" he asked and panted through his exhaustion, the strain of being away from his clan finally catching up to him now that his adrenaline had died out. Raphael felt a pang of sympathy and offered Simon a comforting smile. "Maybe this will teach you not to leave the hotel to deal with useless shadowhunter affairs," he teased, shifting his position.

Simon laughed at that, looking around the room he was in and apparently seeing nothing good. "Geez, what did I do?" he asked Jace, but Jace just walked away judging by the sound of his footsteps fleeing the scene. Raphael rolled his eyes and looked at the clock above his head, thankful that it was almost sundown.

"Simon, get back to the hotel as quickly as possible. We have something important to discuss," he said and without another word hung up the call. He handed Clary's phone back to her, standing and stretching out his tired limbs.

"That's it? What if he goes crazy again?" Clary asked, clutching her phone. Raphael rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He won't. Don't worry. Get him back here as soon as the sun sets and we won't have any more problems."

Clary reluctantly nodded and began to leave, but paused and turned back to the clan leader. "Why did Simon imprint on you? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to imprint on Camille, or even me?"

Raphael chuckled and shook his head. "You don't know anything, do you, Fairchild?" He stepped closer to the girl and folded his arms, explaining as briefly as he could.

"You're his best friend, and Camille is his sire, but who was the one he first laid eyes on after he was reborn? Who gave him his first meal, who did he first touch, who first offered him shelter and companionship and a family who understands him?"

Clary fell silent, turning quickly and leaving the hotel without a word. Raphael turned on his heel and marched up to his room, knowing Simon would be there in about half an hour. He laid down in his bed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of what to say to Simon when he arrived at the hotel.


End file.
